


Stay

by this_wayward_life



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 13x17 The Thing, Angst, Cas is a good brother, Cas is pissed at Dean, Destiel - Freeform, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gabe needs a hug, M/M, Sabriel - Freeform, Sam is a good boyfriend, Set after s13 ep 17, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:12:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14293563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_wayward_life/pseuds/this_wayward_life
Summary: Sam knew what happened before Gabriel died. The empty motel rooms, the secret meetings. He knew that he was in love. But when Gabriel shows up, eight years later and horribly traumatized, Sam is forced to help him, knowing that Gabriel didn't remember him.Set after 13x17 - The Thing





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of feels from the last episode, and I don't think I'm emotionally ready for the next, so I wrote some fluffy angsty thing to cheer myself up. Hope you guys enjoy!

As Sam watched his brother and the old Men Of Letters disappear in a burst of golden light, he heard more than felt the emptiness of the room. He turned around to face the archangel in the chair, who had curled up to try and make himself as small as possible, the silence of the room occasionally broken by weak whimperings and sobs ripping themselves out of his mouth.

_The feeling his lips was something that Sam could never get enough of. He may have been an enemy, but right there, in that dark motel room all alone, they were safe. Safe to let themselves go._

Sam let out a soft sigh and went to sit back in front of Gabriel, reaching out slowly so as not to scare him. Even so, the archangel jerked away from him, his amber eyes wide and scared.

"Gabriel, it's me. Remember? Sam Winchester?" Sam said softly. "I'm here to help you."

Gabriel looked up at him again, before uncurling himself and raising his head so that Sam could pluck the remaining stitches from his mouth. Every so often he let out a small whimper whenever Sam accidentally pulled too hard or pressed a cloth on the wounds, and the young Winchester would always mutter apologies as he worked.

_The door rattled as Sam slammed Gabriel up against it, attacking his neck with brutal kisses. Gabriel's hands gripped his hair tightly, pulling it and twirling it through his fingers as he let out soft whimpers and cries of pleasure. His legs wound tightly around Sam's hips, the movements of their bodies creating friction between them. Sam leaned back up to smash their lips together, discarding their remaining clothes onto the floor as the two of them collapsed onto the bed._

When the stitches were finally out and the wounds had been cleaned with rubbing alcohol, Sam stood up slowly and held out a hand to the quivering archangel.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he said quietly. Gabriel looked up at him, blinking once before taking Sam's hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. Sam inwardly smiled at the progress, an arm around Gabriel's waist as he led the archangel down the hall and into his bathroom.

"I'll run you a bath to get you cleaned up, and then you can relax, okay?" Sam said. Gabriel nodded minutely and Sam smiled, brushing some of the archangel's matted hair out of his face before turning on the tap. Warm water cascaded into the bathtub, the room soon being filled with steam. 

_Simple touches were shared, words not needed as their bodies moved together. The shower was scalding hot just the way Sam liked it, and Gabriel didn't seem to mind. The hunter pressed his angel up against the wall, leaning down to suck hickeys into the smaller man's neck, the steamy air making them out of breath as they swayed under the running water._

"Do you need help with your clothes?" Sam asked when he turned off the tap, testing the water to make sure it wasn't too hot. Gabriel gave another tiny nod and allowed Sam to help him undress. If circumstances were different Sam would be stuttering and be blushing up a storm, but Gabriel looked so defeated and small Sam was holding back tears. There were whip lashes across his back, raised to the surface in ugly red stripes, and bruises decorated his body, leaving the once smooth and pale skin black and blue and ripped to shreds. 

_The Trickster's pearly skin seemed to glisten in the darkness, smooth and soft under Sam's fingertips. The Winchester could feel his embrace from all sides, whispering apologies into his ear and wrapping his legs around the taller man's body. Sam didn't even realise he'd already forgiven him until they were wrapped around each other, locked in passion and love._

Sam was lost in his own head as he slowly scrubbed the dirt off Gabriel's body, wondering what exactly happened to the archangel. If what Ketch said was true, then Gabriel had been held as Asmodeus's prisoner for eight Earth years, and Sam was betting that before Asmodeus took up custody of that throne room on Earth the year before, Gabriel had been in Hell. 

If one month in Earth time was ten years Hell time, and it had been seven Earth years that Gabriel had been in Hell, that was eighty-four Earth months, which meant Gabriel had been in Hell for eight hundred and forty years. He was tortured for eight hundred and forty years, not including the amount of time he spent in that goddamned throne room before Ketch saved him. Whatever kind of torture Gabriel went through when he was down there, it broke him.

Sam didn't notice he was crying until one of his tears dripped off his face, and into the bath water. Gabriel looked up at him, before reaching up to cup his face gently.

_He was back in the Warehouse, Gabriel in his lap. The archangel's hands cupped his face, wiping away his tears. They yelled at the Heavens together, arms around each other as they screamed that they deserved better, they deserved a happy ending._

"I'm okay," Sam muttered, wiping the tears from his face and giving Gabriel a forced smile. "Let's wash that hair of yours. It looks like it hasn't seen proper conditioner for ages."

He reached over and grabbed shampoo from the sink, pouring some onto his hand and starting to rub it into Gabriel's wet hair. The archangel squirmed slightly before relaxing, making some sort of quiet purring noise that Sam could barely hear. He felt the corners of his mouth tug up into a smile and kept massaging Gabriel's scalp, before guiding the archangel to lie down and rinsing out his hair. After Sam did the same thing with the conditioner, Gabriel seemed calmer than before, taking Sam's hand without hesitation as the Winchester helped him out of the bath.

"I need to get some clothes for you, but in the meantime, I'll set you up in a spare room, okay?" Sam said quietly, wrapping the archangel in a robe. Gabriel quickly shook his head, moving closer to Sam as if he was trying to hide from something.

"You wanna stay with me?" Sam guessed and got a nod in response. "You want me to carry you?" Another nod. Sam gently hoisted Gabriel into his arms, and his heart warmed when the small man leaned into him.

_"I feel like a bride, being carried into her honeymoon by her newly wedded husband," Gabriel teased, and Sam snorted._

_"Don't push your luck, weirdo. I can drop you at any time."_

_"But you won't," Gabriel said sweetly. Sam raised an eyebrow, before opening his arms and watching Gabriel fall to the ground with an 'oof' sound. The archangel looked back up at him indignantly, propping himself up on his elbows. Sam laughed at the expression on Gabriel's face and sat down next to him, pressing a kiss to his lips. Gabriel raised an eyebrow and Sam rolled his eyes, taking a sucker from his jacket pocket. "You are forgiven."_

Sam set Gabriel on the bed, before turning around to his dresser to rummage around for clothes. When he emerged with a pair of sweatpants, underwear and a hoodie he turned around to see the room was covered with black Enochian markings, with Gabriel curled up next to the dresser. Looks like the poor thing is still scared, after all.

"Looks like you've still got some of your powers," Sam said weakly, taking in the room. At the mention of his powers, Gabriel curled himself into a smaller ball, his muscles visibly tensing. "No no, that's good! You'll be able to heal yourself faster, right?" Sam hastened to correct his mistake. "I want you to be safe, and when you're back at full power it'll be easier for you to defend yourself, right?"

Gabriel relaxed again, and Sam sat down on the end of the bed.

"I have some clothes for you," he said awkwardly, holding up the bundle of fabric. He could've sworn Gabriel's mouth turned upwards for a split second before slipping back to the broken mask that he'd been wearing the entire time.

After Sam had finished helping Gabriel dress, he couldn't help but snort at the sight.

"You look like a little kid who's gone through their parent's clothes," he said, and Gabriel smiled - actually smiled, for longer than half a second - and limped forward to wrap his arms around Sam's torso, nuzzling into Sam's collar.

_Gabriel's head was resting in the crook of Sam's neck, his long fingers idly tracing patterns into the taller man's bare chest. Sam pressed a soft kiss to the archangel's fluffy hair, his right arm tightening slightly around him._

_"Do you really think you'll be able to stop the apocalypse?" Gabriel asked, his voice heavy with sleep. It took a while for Sam to respond, so long that Gabriel might have thought that he went to sleep. When he did though, Gabriel leaned up to press a small kiss to his jawline, wrapping his small arms around Sam's torso tightly._

_"I don't know."_

Sam ran a hand through Gabriel's hair as he hugged him back before pulling away, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"How about this - we can watch a movie or something, and I'll grab some snacks," he said, smiling when Gabriel nodded. "Can you stay here for me?"

This time Gabriel shook his head furiously, terror evident in his eyes.

"Okay, that's fine! You come with me!" Sam said quickly, and Gabriel relaxed again. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Gabriel reached out and squeezed Sam's hand slightly, making him blush again before hefting Gabriel into his arms once more. As they walked down the corridor Sam gave the archangel a small tour, pointing out which doors belong to whom - "That one's Dean's, that's Cas's when he's here, that one used to be Charlie's - you never met her, did you? Well-" as well as filling him in on what's happened since the apocalypse - and of course, how it was stopped. When they got into the kitchen Sam made sure that Gabriel was in his sights at all times, just to make the archangel feel safe.

"Sorry we don't have much on the subject of junk food," Sam said, rummaging through the cupboards. "Dean's too lazy to go shopping, and I always forget." He eventually re-emerged with a packet of M&Ms and a couple of Snickers bars. "Is this alright?"

Gabriel nodded. Sam grinned and walked back over, handing Gabriel the snacks and picking him back up. He continued the little tour and managed to tell Gabriel about 'The Adventures Of Garth Fitzgerald IV; Hunter And Werewolf' before they got back to the room.

When they got back into the room, Sam grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Gabriel's body, a small sound of indignation from the archangel making him laugh.

"What do you wanna watch?" Sam asked, grabbing his laptop and falling back onto the bed, resting on the headrest. Gabriel stood by the bed, the blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. "Come on, sit down. I won't hurt you." Gabriel slowly sat down next to Sam and burrowed deeply into his blanket.

"Any TV shows you like? Dr Sexy MD?" Sam asked, which made the archangel look up at him, obviously unamused. "What about Japanese game shows? Sitcoms? Procedural cop shows? Night Rider?"

_"I still can't believe you turned me into a car," Sam mumbled, pressing kiss after kiss on Gabriel's neck._

_"I can't believe it either," Gabriel said breathlessly. "I'm meant to be the only one who's allowed to ride you." Sam snorted, leaning up to crash their mouths together._

Gabriel gave him a look, and Sam held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. Have you ever watched Brooklyn 99?" Gabriel shook his head, and Sam grinned. "Oh, you're gonna love this."

The two of them spent the next five hours watching all that Netflix had of Brooklyn 99 - well, Gabriel was watching it and Sam was watching Gabriel. The archangel's eyes were still dull and lifeless, but occasionally a spark came into them and stayed, just for a little while. After a few hours, Sam heard the bunker door open, and Gabriel tensed up and gripped Sam's arm tightly.

"Hey hey, it's okay," Sam said quietly. "It's probably just Cas."

Gabriel shook his head furiously and held on tighter, making Sam sigh.

"I'll go take a look, okay?" he said softly. Gabriel cowered further into Sam's side, and the Winchester sighed. "I'll be fine, Gabe. I promise."

_"I'll be fine, Gabe! I promise!" Sam said desperately. Gabriel shook his head, tears threatening to spill._

_"No, you won't! Don't you dare say yes to him, Sam! I don't even care anymore about letting the apocalypse happen! You need to stop it!"_

_"I can't, Gabriel! I've tried, and I can't. So many people have died, and this is just... the better option."_

_"If Lucifer wins, the entire human race will die!" Gabriel shouted. "And if Michael wins, you die! Please, don't give up."_

_"Dean doesn't care!" Sam yelled. "He said that I was an abomination. He doesn't care, Cas doesn't care, nobody cares!"_

_"I care!" Gabriel cried, tears now streaming down his cheeks in an endless wave. "Please, Sam. Don't do this."_

_Sam looked at him for a few seconds, before he collapsed, sobs wracking his entire body. Gabriel held him tightly in that motel room, their cries echoing through the night._

Gabriel's grip on his arm lessened, and Sam pulled away gently, standing up and sending Gabriel a comforting smile before leaving the room. As he got to the library he saw Cas, standing in front of the portal with a blank expression.

"Hey Cas," Sam greeted. Cas slowly turned around, his eyes cold.

"Sam Winchester, did you seriously open a portal to another world without telling me?" he said angrily, and Sam winced. Cas may have been much smaller than him, but that didn't make him any less scary, angel powers excluded.

"It was Dean's idea," he blurted out. "He said that we should just do it and that there was no use wasting daylight."

"Dean is in the apocalypse world alone?!" Cas said incredulously. Sam shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, he's got Ketch with him," he said timidly, and Cas's eyes darkened. Sam could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise as electricity filled the room.

"Ketch?" Cas asked, his voice a deadly whisper. "The Ketch who's working for Asmodeus?"

"...Yes?"

"Why is he even here?" Cas asked angrily. "He's an enemy! Oh, I should've killed him when I had the chance-"

"Cas, calm down!" Sam interrupted. "He's running away from Asmodeus. He betrayed him."

Cas stopped, looking at Sam quizzically. "How?"

Sam opened his mouth, before stopping. "I think it's best if I show you."

Cas raised an eyebrow but followed Sam down the hall.

"You're speaking as if whatever this is holds great value to you," Cas said casually, and Sam glared at him.

"Just... behave, alright? Don't talk about Dean, he doesn't like that."

"He?"

"Like I said, I'll show you."

They got to Sam's room, the door closed and the lights off. Sam held a finger to his mouth and opened the door slowly, noticing quickly the bed was empty.

"Hey, it's me," Sam called softly. "It's just Cas. You remember him, right? Castiel, your little brother?"

"Little brother?" Cas asked from behind him, and Sam sent him a warning look, turning on the light. He immediately noticed the cowering figure in the corner of the room and sighed.

"Gabe, it's alright," he said softly, walking over and kneeling before him. "It's just me. Sam."

Gabriel looked up, and immediately relaxed and leaned into Sam. The Winchester looked over to the door, where Cas stood frozen.

"Gabriel?" he said faintly. The archangel looked over and immediately shrieked, backing into Sam and holding onto his flannel tightly.

"Hey, it's alright," Sam said quietly. "Remember Cas? Your brother?"

Gabriel looked up at Sam, before looking back at Cas. His grip on Sam's shirt loosened slightly, but he buried his face in Sam's chest. Sam sighed and wrapped his arms around the small man, looking up at Cas sorrowfully.

"He's been tortured by Asmodeus," Sam said quietly, picking Gabriel up and sitting on the bed, the archangel curled up in his lap. "Cas, I don't know what to do."

Cas took a few hesitant steps forward, kneeling in front of Sam and Gabriel. He reached out hesitantly and placed a hand on Gabriel's knee, which made the archangel jump and whimper. Sam hushed him, stroking his hair softly. Cas looked up at Sam, his eyes full of grief.

"I'll need to get inside his head," Cas said quietly. 

Sam nodded and coaxed Gabriel into a sitting position, holding him from behind. Cas gently placed his hands on either side of Gabriel's head, closing his eyes in concentration. Gabriel shrieked and started thrashing around, and Sam held onto him tighter, whispering words of comfort with tears threatening to fall from his own eyes. After a few seconds, Gabriel went limp and Cas released him, standing up shakily.

"W-What did you do? Is he alright?" Sam asked quickly, looking down at Gabriel's lifeless body.

"He'll be fine," Cas said gently, sitting next to Sam. "He really trusts you."

_"Do you really trust these pagans?" Sam whispered, pulling Gabriel into an empty room._

_"They helped me, Sammy. They may not have known who I really was, but they helped me. They're my family, just as much as Dean is yours."_

_Sam sighed, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Gabriel's mouth. "Fine. Just... be careful, alright?"_

_Gabriel grinned, his amber eyes twinkling with mischief. "No promises, babe."_

Sam chose not to say anything, and instead leaned into Cas's side. Although he may not say it as often as Dean, he did care about Cas. Just... in a different way than Dean. Sam felt Cas put his head on Sam's shoulder, and the angel let out a soft sigh.

"Dean is going to be alright, isn't he?" Cas asked in a small voice. Sam sighed, wrapping an arm around Cas.

"He's Dean fucking Winchester," he said, earning a small laugh from the angel. "Your hunter will be fine, Cas."

"He's not my hunter," Cas muttered, blushing faintly.

"Then make him yours," Sam said. Cas ducked his head, a red hue obvious on his cheeks.

"I'm going to put wardings around the portal," he muttered, standing up. "If - _when_ Dean comes back, he's in trouble."

Sam smiled and ruffled Cas's hair, making the angel look at him indignantly before leaving the room and turning off the light. When the door closed behind him, Sam looked down at the sleeping archangel in his arms and gently laid him down on the bed. Gabriel rolled onto his side and curled into a ball, his hair falling into his face. Sam smiled and placed the blanket on top of him, tucking some of the small angel's hair behind his ear. Just as he stood up, a small hand shot from underneath the sheets and grabbed the corner of his flannel.

"Stay," a croaky voice whispered. Sam turned back around to see Gabriel looking up at him through sleep-filled eyes.

"W-What?" Sam stammered, caught off guard.

"Stay," Gabriel repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. But it was there. 

Sam smiled and got into bed next to the archangel, kicking off his shoes and his first couple of layers in the process. Gabriel curled up next to him, his hands finding Sam's T-shirt and his head resting in the crook of Sam's neck. The hunter could feel the archangel's warm breath on the bare skin of his collarbone.

_"Sam?"_

_"Yeah, Gabe?"_

_"You ever think we could be able to get out of this?"_

_Sam looked down at the man in his arms. Gabriel was looking up at him, his golden eyes wide._

_"Get out of what?"_

_"This life. We could settle down, have dogs-"_

_"What about kids?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Gabriel made a face._

_"Never liked goats that much."_

_Sam laughed, pressing a kiss to his lover's head. "So you're saying you wanna have a family with me?"_

_"Yeah," Gabriel said, smiling. "We could be that weird gay couple with way too many dogs." Sam laughed again, leaning down to brush his lips against the archangel's own._

_"God I love you," Sam said quietly. Gabriel beamed up at him, reaching back up to pepper kisses all over the taller man's face._

_"I love you too."_

Sam's arms went around Gabriel's small body, pulling him close. Gabriel nuzzled into Sam's neck, his soft hair tickling Sam's throat. 

"I meant it," Gabriel whispered. "I loved you."

"What about now?" Sam asked quietly after a couple of seconds.

Silence.

"I still love you."

Sam pressed a kiss to the crown of Gabriel's head and buried his face in the small man's hair, trying to hide his goofy smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
